Every week, CIO Journal offers a glimpse into the mind of the CEO, whose view of technology is shaped by stories in management journals, general interest magazines and, of course, in-flight publications.

The Tolstoy Principle of change management. Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy famously wrote, “Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.” The lesson for self-appointed change agents is to take a look in the mirror before engaging in far-reaching organizational changes, write McKinsey & Co.’s Nate Boaz and Erica Ariel Fox. Individual leaders should focus on improving themselves in order to have a more lasting organizational impact, they write. “Learning to lead yourself requires you to question some core assumptions too, about yourself and the way things work. Like Joseph Campbell’s famous “hero’s journey,” that often means leaving your everyday environment, or going outside your comfort zone, to experience trials and adventures.” They go on to say that one global company sent its senior leaders to places as far afield as the heart of Communist China and the beaches of Normandy with a view to challenging their internal assumptions about the company’s operating model. “The fresh perspectives these leaders gained helped shape their internal values and leadership behavior, allowing them to cascade the lessons through the organization upon their return. This integration of looking both inward and outward is the most powerful formula we know for creating long-term, high-impact organizational change.”

Bettina Strenske/UPPA/Zuma Press

A Beatles dress signed across the front in blue ink by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr and Brian Epstein.

Paul McCartney, John Lennon, and the myth of the lone creator. As much as Beatles fans and critics like to dissect the iconic pairing of Lennon and McCartney, and sometimes to try to determine who was the better artist, the Atlantic’s Joshua Wolf Shenk argues that the songwriting duo are emblematic of the “power of two” in creative work. “Friedrich Nietzsche proposed that the interaction of the Apollonian and the Dionysian was the foundation of creative work, and modern creativity research has confirmed this insight, revealing the key relationship between breaking and making, challenging and refining, disrupting and organizing.”

Silicon Valley’s walking dead. If “fail often, fail fast,” is a well-worn Silicon Valley mantra, a recent addition to the lexicon – the walking dead – offers a glimpse into the underbelly of the Valley. “What about those tech entrepreneurs who lose – and keep on losing? What about those who start one company after another, refine pitches, tweak products, pivot strategies, reinvent themselves … and never succeed? What about the angst masked behind upbeat facades?” asks the Guardian’s Rory Carroll. A manager of a large tech company says “we call them the walking dead … They don’t necessarily die. They putter along.” Tech entrepreneur Johnny Chin, whose first three startups ended in failure and is currently hopeful that his fourth try will bear sweeter fruit, says, “It’s painful to be one of the walking dead. You lie to yourself and mask what’s not working. You amplify little wins.”